Tuesday, July 16, 2013

FFL: Second verse, different than the first.

Humidity measures the amount of water vapor in the air. Florida was very humid. Coming from California to the Children with
Diabetes Friends for Life Conference, my body, (especially my hair,) did not
acclimate well.

But as I attended the conference, I realized there was a
different kind of humidity in the air.

The Friendship humidity:
It was thick. It was real. And my heart acclimated quickly.

Walking down the halls of the conference, breathing in the
“sameness” of the people weaving around me, I felt electric. Alive.
There was kindness in every eye that mine met, and joy in every
hug.

In the words of my youngest, “Man, it was just nice that
everyone around me knew what ‘a unit’ was!”

We may have come from around the world, but we all felt like
we spoke the same language. We all felt
like cousins, some of us felt like sisters.
How can I explain the easiness of the conversations? How can I convey thirst for connection? The emotions were off the charts. Honest conversations took place, and woman
who held in the pain for years let the tears go freely.

A beautiful friend of mine kept repeating, “I am fine. Totally
fine,” as the tears continually welled up in the corners of her eyes. Those are the words she has been repeating to
herself day in and day out…words that helped her get through the muddy emotions
this disease brings. But within the
confines of this conference she was able to say those words and know that WE
knew what they really meant. We knew
they were bull. But we knew they were
what got her through…because they have gotten us through. We are fine.

Data in the forms of pie charts and graphs gave a whole new
meaning to my diabetes experiences.
Opinions bounced from the walls and the ones that resonated with me
stuck resolutely. 15 years into this D
Momming thing and I’m still learning.
Still growing.

People with diabetes, families with diabetes, athletes with
diabetes, people in politics with diabetes, musicians and actors with diabetes, companies that sell supplies, companies that
spread awareness, websites that bring people together…they were all there.

And together we fit perfectly. Parts of a community brought together to make
a whole.

The friends for life conference was a safe place for me and
my delicate emotions. My children felt
equally safe. What a blessing that was.

I know a lot of work went into that conference, and I want
to thank those behind the scenes that put in time and money to make this
happen.

From those of us who enjoyed the spoils of your labor,
please know…it was completely worthwhile.

And to the Diabetes Scholar Foundation who funded our trip
there, thank you. I never imagined we
would be able to return to Florida and do-over all that we missed out on last year. I’ll forever cherish the time we
had together as a whole family in 2012, but I’ll equally cherish the time we
spent with our extended family this year…an extended family that filled our
dried up riverbed with running waters of love and understanding.

Friends for Life...I've never felt the meaning of that more in my life than I have at FFL. It feels like home there. I'm so happy that we could be at home together. Love you forever my friend!! And for the record, you looked beautifully acclimated - hair and all!

Honored to be on this list

AUTOMATIC EMAILS WHEN MY SWELLY BRAIN BLOGS! AWESOME!

ABOUT ME

I am the mother to 4 wonderful boys, 3 of which have Type 1 Diabetes. Through this blog I hope to share our ongoing story, to help others see that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Like you, I have muddled through all the emotional phases diabetes has to offer a parent. I know of the worry that sits with you like an old friend, because he is my friend too. I just try not to make him the life of the party. Take the ride with me.

Disclaimer

I can S.W.A.G a meal three tables away. I can guesstimate a bolus in lightning speed. I can check my boys’ blood sugars in the wee hours of the morning, half asleep, with only one eye open. I can do a lot of things…but one thing I can’t do is be your child’s endocrinologist. Everything on this blog works for our family, but might not work for yours. Funny thing diabetes, one size does not fit all. If you see some technique here that you would like to try, call your doctor, use common sense, and remember: I am not a doctor…I’m just a mother of three boys with Type 1 Diabetes. That is it. Mother. Not doctor. Blogger. Not doctor. Friend. Not doctor. All comments will be publicly viewable, but contact information will remain private. Thanks for stopping by! Come again soon!